Les Melton Fine Art

Les Melton Fine Art

Born in England in 1933 Les was forever marvelling at the wonders of life around him and recording what he saw in drawings and paintings. No one was surprised when he went off to study art at the Central School of Art and Crafts in London (1953-57), and it seemed to follow logically when he went on to teach at Art Colleges around the World - in the UK, the West Indies, and finally in Australia where he was a Senior Lecturer at the Queensland College of Art (1975-91). Throughout his career Les remained a prolific painter – undertaking numerous commissions and presenting solo exhibitions of his work (15 in all) in every country in which he lived. Following his retirement Les and his wife moved to Switzerland to live in a beautiful hillside location overlooking the Northern end of Lake Maggiore, and he loves nothing better than to paint the beautiful environment in which he finds himself.

'I would never have imagined that one day I would live in Switzerland, but that dream has become a reality. I now live in my own Paradise. I am surrounded on all sides by beautiful mountains. The lower slopes are covered with forests and colourful flowers, while the higher ridges and peaks, although more bare, are forever fascinating – like magnets drawing me towards them. It is on the mountain tops where I feel free and complete within myself. In summer I love nothing better than to climb up high in the mountains – taking in the beauty of the surrounding environment and trying to capture the spirit of the moment with whatever medium I have at hand. I often do the same in winter, but increasingly in the colder months I find myself working indoors – not only on paintings but also on the restoration of precious objects. This has included such tasks as the restoration of old paintings and delicate Chinese wood carvings. In warmer weather, apart from painting the local scenery, I also have my eyes on the historic frescoes that are to be found in chapels and shrines in the surrounding area, as many are in desperate need of restoration. I love the beauty that surrounds me, and I love recording it and restoring it'.
LM

Although Les undertakes occasional commissions (portraits, landscapes, restoration work and so on), he prefers to enjoy the pleasures of retirement and to paint for pleasure. The primary purpose of this website is simply to provide an insight into the quality of his work and the variety of his styles, and the website is laid out with this very much in mind. However, it also offers those who are interested the possibility of obtaining copies of his work. Needless to say, it was impossible to include photographs of all of his paintings, as many are now in private hands, but in the course of time Les hopes to extend the website to include more of his paintings.

Born in England in 1933 Les was forever marvelling at the wonders of life around him and recording what he saw in drawings and paintings. No one was surprised when he went off to study art at the Central School of Art and Crafts in London (1953-57), and it seemed to follow logically when he went on to teach at Art Colleges around the World - in the UK, the West Indies, and finally in Australia where he was a Senior Lecturer at the Queensland College of Art (1975-91). Throughout his career Les remained a prolific painter – undertaking numerous commissions and presenting solo exhibitions of his work (15 in all) in every country in which he lived. Following his retirement Les and his wife moved to Switzerland to live in a beautiful hillside location overlooking the Northern end of Lake Maggiore, and he loves nothing better than to paint the beautiful environment in which he finds himself.

'I would never have imagined that one day I would live in Switzerland, but that dream has become a reality. I now live in my own Paradise. I am surrounded on all sides by beautiful mountains. The lower slopes are covered with forests and colourful flowers, while the higher ridges and peaks, although more bare, are forever fascinating – like magnets drawing me towards them. It is on the mountain tops where I feel free and complete within myself. In summer I love nothing better than to climb up high in the mountains – taking in the beauty of the surrounding environment and trying to capture the spirit of the moment with whatever medium I have at hand. I often do the same in winter, but increasingly in the colder months I find myself working indoors – not only on paintings but also on the restoration of precious objects. This has included such tasks as the restoration of old paintings and delicate Chinese wood carvings. In warmer weather, apart from painting the local scenery, I also have my eyes on the historic frescoes that are to be found in chapels and shrines in the surrounding area, as many are in desperate need of restoration. I love the beauty that surrounds me, and I love recording it and restoring it'.
LM

Although Les undertakes occasional commissions (portraits, landscapes, restoration work and so on), he prefers to enjoy the pleasures of retirement and to paint for pleasure. The primary purpose of this website is simply to provide an insight into the quality of his work and the variety of his styles, and the website is laid out with this very much in mind. However, it also offers those who are interested the possibility of obtaining copies of his work. Needless to say, it was impossible to include photographs of all of his paintings, as many are now in private hands, but in the course of time Les hopes to extend the website to include more of his paintings.